Latest news with #ministerialcode
BBC News
7 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Blairs' discount designer clothes deal caused No 10 concern, files show
Ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie received tens of thousands of pounds in discounts on designer clothing while in Downing Street, documents July 2001 and December 2002, Mrs Blair bought clothes worth more than £75,000 – equivalent to £150,000 today – but paid just £31,000 for them, newly released papers from the National Archives Street officials were worried these benefits would have to be declared under a new ministerial code, which was then coming into effect, and advised the Blairs to repay thousands of is not clear from the papers if this happened. From fashion designer Nicole Farhi alone, Mrs Blair bought clothes worth nearly £21,000 for herself and the prime minister, paying just over £8, also had substantial discounts from Burberry, James Lakeland, Ungaro, Joseph, and Maria Grachvogel, amongst "wholesale" discounts had been negotiated by Carole Caplin, Mrs Blair's trainer and personal Tony, who was prime minister between 1997 and 2007, also benefited from a 25% discount from Paul Smith, famous for his freshly released documents reveal how the optics of the discounts and spending was a concern for Downing Street officials at the time."In terms of public perception," wrote No 10 private secretary Clare Sumner, "the amounts involved are quite large".Along with the cabinet secretary, she recommended that the Blairs should pay back part of the discount, though Cherie was entitled to divide her purchases into two, on the basis that half the clothes were required for her role as a "career woman".They would say the Blairs had "commercial terms" from the designers, which were usually a discount of about 10 or 15%.She suggested other options, including saying that Mrs Blair had the same treatment as other high profile individuals with a personal shopper, and that she needed the clothes for public engagements of her said Mrs Blair sometimes gave her outfits to charities or exhibitions after use: "So it is difficult to see how anyone could seriously allege she is acquiring a clear personal benefit out of your position as PM." According to the memo, the discounts had been in place for several years, and dated back to before Sir Tony was prime Tony himself scrawled "Speak to me" on the memo, dated 19 February 2003. Later that day, Mrs Blair spoke to Ms note to the cabinet secretary, dated 4 March 2003, says Mrs Blair agreed to speak to Paddy Campbell, Paul Smith and Nicole Farhi to "ask them to set out in writing their terms of trade, confirm that these terms are available to others (with personal shoppers or as individuals) and to provide an estimate of the numbers of people who bought their clothes in a similar way".She would also confirm that "confidentiality agreements" were in place with these intent was to "satisfy" Sir Andrew Turnbull, the cabinet secretary, that "no preferential treatment had been given".There is no mention of gifts of clothes discounts in the ministerial gift list in the file – which was published on 14 March behalf of the Blairs, the Tony Blair Institute said: " We have nothing to add to what has already been disclosed which shows that advice was sought and followed." As prime minister, Sir Tony received some extremely generous presents from famous people and world leaders.U2 lead singer Bono had given him a guitar – as had Bryan Berlusconi, the then Italian prime minister, offered multiple designer watches, including timepieces from Piaget, Corum, Jaeger-Coultre, and prime minister asked Ms Sumner to make the list "more boring" – so the published version did not include the type of watch, which can retail at many thousands of pounds wrote: "I have taken out details of individuals, removed the valuations for all items except those which have been purchased and minimised the descriptions of items."The concern over discounted clothes has similarities with criticism faced by Sir Keir Starmer and his wife. Last year he accepted more than £18,000 for spectacles and work clothing from the Labour peer Lord Alli, who also paid for some clothes for Sir Keir's wife Victoria worth just over £6,000.
Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Ministers who breach sleaze rules won't get severance payments
Ministers who are sacked for breaching sleaze rules will no longer receive severance payments under government plans. At present, ministers who lose their jobs are entitled to three months' pay, which amounts to nearly £17,000 for a Cabinet minister. Pat McFadden, a Cabinet Office minister, announced on Monday morning that ministers guilty of a serious breach of the ministerial code would no longer receive the money. The payment will also not be given to those who served less than six months in the job. The move is part of an overhaul aimed at restoring trust in standards in public life, which will result in the launch of a new Ethics and Integrity Commission. The commission, created from the Committee on Standards in Public Life, will have a wider, stronger remit to oversee integrity across every part of the public sector. Ministers will also scrap the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba) as part of the shake-up. Critics have said the watchdog, which assesses the jobs former ministers take after leaving government for conflicts of interest, is toothless and unable to enforce its rules properly. Under the changes, ministers who refuse to comply with its judgments and those of its successors will have to pay back any severance pay. Mr McFadden said: 'This overhaul will mean there are stronger rules, fewer quangos and clearer lines of accountability. 'The Committee on Standards in Public Life has played an important role in the past three decades. These changes give it a new mandate for the future. 'But whatever the institutional landscape, the public will in the end judge politicians and Government by how they do their jobs and how they fulfil the principles of public service.' Ministers are currently entitled to a severance payment equivalent to three months' salary when they leave office for any reason, and no matter how long they have been in the job. Under the changes being announced by the Government, ministers who return to office within three months of leaving will also not receive their salary until the end of that three-month period. The reforms are aimed at preventing situations like that under the Boris Johnson and Liz Truss governments, which saw some Conservative ministers who served for little more than a month receive payouts of thousands of pounds. Labour says £253,720 was paid out to 35 outgoing Tory ministers who were in post for less than six months during 2022, some of whom were in their jobs for 37 days. The new Ethics and Integrity Commission will report annually to the Prime Minister on the health of the standards system. It will be chaired by Doug Chalmers, a retired lieutenant general who chairs the current Standards Committee. The committee was set up in 1994 by Sir John Major, then prime minister, after his government was mired in accusations of 'sleaze' following a series of parliamentary scandals. Sir John warned in a recent speech that a small group of politicians were increasingly breaking the rules, and suggested Acoba needed to be reformed. Ministers have instead decided to scrap it and split its functions between the Civil Service Commission and the Prime Minister's Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards. Under reforms to the business appointments rules, former ministers found to have breached them by taking on inappropriate jobs will now be asked to repay any severance pay they receive.
The Independent
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Speaker accuses Government of ‘appalling' breaches of ministerial code
Sir Lindsay Hoyle would like to take the Government to task for 'appalling' ministerial code breaches, but he has 'not got the power', MPs have heard. The Commons Speaker said on Tuesday that the extent of his authority, 'if the House wishes, needs to change', because on his watch the situation 'would be different'. The Government's own code sets out the 'high standards of behaviour' which ministers are expected to maintain. According to the document, they should keep 'commercially sensitive material' under wraps until it is published, without letting the media see it first. But a row broke out over the Government's handling of the recent Strategic Defence Review (SDR), when journalists were allowed to see the document before MPs received their copies. 'At 10.30am on the Monday morning (June 2), journalists were invited to a reading room in Horse Guards Parade, where they were given access to the White Paper,' Conservative shadow defence minister Mark Francois said. He added that this was 'clearly a breach of the code' and continued: 'It was also seen by members of defence companies, trade associations, academics, think tanks and trade unionists at the same time that the markets were opening at eight o'clock.' Mr Francois said this raised 'a possibility of insider trading'. Sir Lindsay replied that he had raised this 'at the time'. The Speaker said: 'But what I would say is that I have no responsibility for the ministerial code. 'That, if the House wishes, needs to change because unfortunately, it makes a nonsense. 'There is a ministerial code there. The fact is that it is not being kept as we expect it to, but it is for this House, if it wishes to change the ministerial code – please do so. 'Or, I'm more than happy for the Government to change it, if they cannot accept it. 'But what we cannot have is this continuation of breaking the ministerial code. 'It is appalling. It is unacceptable, because in the end – it is not a political point – I am here to uphold the rights of the backbenchers. The backbenchers should be the ones that hear it first. 'The fact that documents are going to be given – they should be given to MPs. It is about me supporting MPs, but unfortunately, in this particular area I have not got the power. 'I wish I had, because it would be different.' Defence Secretary John Healey made a statement on the SDR in the Commons more than two weeks ago – on June 2 – when he told MPs it was 'a plan to meet the threats we face, a plan to step up on European security and lead in Nato, a plan that learns the lessons from Ukraine'. Sir Lindsay had criticised the Government for briefing out parts of the document the previous weekend. 'I'm disappointed once again that the Government appears to have breached the principle set out in paragraph 9.1 of the ministerial code – that when Parliament is in session, the most important announcements of Government policy should be made in the first instance in Parliament,' he said.
The Independent
02-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Watch: Furious Lindsay Hoyle scolds Keir Starmer over defence review ‘leaks'
Sir Lindsay Hoyle accused the government of committing a 'blatant breach' of the ministerial code over how it released details of a major defence review on Monday, 2 June. The Speaker took exception to details of the strategic defence review (SDR) being briefed out over the weekend and Sir Keir Starmer holding a media event several hours before the document was published in Parliament. Making it clear that the House of Commons, rather than the media, should be informed first, Sir Lindsay said of Labour: 'This shows complete disregard for the House and for the honourable members.' "The government appears to have breached the principle set out in paragraph 9.1 of the ministerial code – that when Parliament is in session, the most important announcements of government policy should be made in the first instance in Parliament.'
